Connector cover

Abstract: A connector cover has a simple type of lock device and positively protects a connector. The connector cover includes a cover body having a cover-side projection that is engageable with a projection on a connector housing to prevent removal of the connector cover. Manipulation pieces extend from the cover body. With this construction, by holding the manipulation pieces, that portion of the cover body around the projection is elastically deformed, so that the engagement of the projection with the housing-side projection is released.

Description: This invention relates to a connector cover, and more particularly, to a connector cover having an improved locking arrangement enabling a secure connection and easy disengagement. Figs. 3 and 4 show an example of a conventional male connector and a conventional female connector used in an engine room of an automobile. The two connectors 1 and 16 are fitted together in an automobile-assembling line. Before this fitting is done, terminals of the male connector are exposed, and therefore, some dust-prevention/waterproof device must be provided. In view of this, the female connector 16 has heretofore been used to serve also as a protective cover. By thus utilizing the female connector 16, the two connectors 1 and 16 can be freely connected together and disconnected from each other, when necessary, by a locking device of the female connector 16. However, before wires are inserted into the female connector 16, wire insertion ports 17 are in an open condition. Therefore, in this condition, dust and water are allowed to enter the wire insertion ports. Therefore, a packing of rubber called a "dummy plug" is placed in each wire insertion port. Such an operation is not only cumbersome, but also lowers the efficiency of the operation and increases cost. Another problem encountered when the female connector 16 is used as a protective cover is that when there is conducted a test (bench test or the like), in which water is applied to the connector, the water collects in recesses, which are formed in the connector in the vicinity of the insertion ports for the purpose of reducing the weight of the connector. Therefore, even if the intrusion of water into the connector is prevented, there is a possibility that water collected in the recesses will be introduced into the male connector when the female connector is disconnected. A relatively strong locking force is required for locking the two connectors relative to each other, and usually, an elastic retaining piece 19 formed on the female connector 16 is elastically deformed and is engaged with a projection 8 on the male connector, thereby obtaining a locking force from the elastic retaining piece. The elastic retaining piece 19 includes a portion 19a for pushing the elastic retaining piece 19, a retaining portion 19b formed at a distal end thereof, and a hinge portion for flexing the retaining portion. This locking device has a complicated construction and is costly for the disposable protective cover. DE-U-82 18 120 discloses a connector cover from which the present invention starts from in the preamble of claim 1. This known connector cover comprises a cover body having in its circumferencial wall four slits, so that two lock pieces are cut out from the circumferencial wall. Furthermore provided is a pair of manipulation pieces being aligned with the lock pieces and when said manipulation pieces are urged towards each other, the cover body is deformed in the area of the lock pieces to disengage from a connector housing. The manipulation pieces can easily be deformed, whereas the remaining circumferencial strip-like portion of the cover body between the manipulation pieces and the lock pieces running in circumferencial direction acts as a fulcrum. This fulcrum is very slender or narrow, so that the manipulation pieces can very easily be urged towards each other. The connector cover according to DE-U-82 18 120 thus has as main disadvantage that the cover body can easily be disengaged from the connector housing by an unexpected force during conveyance or the like. The present invention thus has as a primary object to provide a connector cover which on the one hand is reliably held in place, i.e. at the connector housing, but on the other hand can readily be disengaged from the connector housing if it is desired or necessary to do so. The present invention accomplishes this by providing a pair of manipulation pieces so that the direction of movement upon urging the manipulation pieces towards each other being perpendicular to the direction of the elastic deformation of the relevant part of the cover body. If the manipulation pieces are disposed so that their direction of movement upon urging them toward each other being perpendicular to the direction of elastic deformation of the cover body, it is very unlikely that the connector cover becomes disengaged from the connector housing during conveyance or the like, since very distinctive movements and forces are required to deform the cover body. In other words, in case of DE-U-82 18 120 the manipulation pieces are aligned with the lock pieces. Urging the two manipulation pieces together results in a deformation of the lock pieces away from each other, whereas the two movement directions of manipulation pieces and lock pieces substantially lie within a common plane. In case of the present invention the plane of the movement of the manipulation pieces lies normal or perpendicular to the plane of the deformation of the cover body, thus reducing risk of an unwanted disengagement between connector cover and connector housing. Since the circumferencial wall of the cover is entirely closed, there is the additional benefit that dust prevention and waterproofness of the cap is superior over the connector cover of DE-U-82 18 120, said dust prevention and waterproofness being a prerequisite of such connector covers. This invention can be more fully understood from the following description thereof, which is to be seen in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front-elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a cover body according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional male connector housing; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional female connector housing. Reference is first made to a male connector housing (see Fig. 3) to which a connector cover according to the invention is to be attached. The connector housing 1 is integrally molded of a synthetic resin, and a generally front half thereof is a connection portion la for connection to a female connector. A fixing portion 1b for fixing the connector to the connector housing 1 is provided at a rear half thereof. Three wire insertion tubes 2 are formed on an upper portion of the fixing portion 1b. Tubes 2 are juxtaposed to one another and are partitioned from one another. A pair of opposed clamp pawls for elastically engaging a fixing member (not shown) is formed on a lower portion of the fixing portion 1b. A generally oval opening 4 for connection to the female connector (not shown) is formed in an end face of the connection portion la, and a plurality of male terminals (not shown) is provided within the connection portion la. Guide protuberances 5 are formed respectively on the opposite (right and left in Fig. 3) side surfaces of the connection portion la and extend along a length thereof. These guide protuberances serve to guide the female connector (not shown) and a cover body 6 (later described) during the fitting operation. A pair of (right and left in Fig. 3) parallel, spaced ridges 7 is formed on the upper surface of the connection portion la and extends along the length thereof. A retaining projection 8 for the cover body 6 and the female connector is formed on the upper surface of the connection portion la and is disposed between the two ridges 7. A front surface of projection 8 is formed into a slanting surface 8a slanting upwardly along the fitting direction, and a rear end surface of projection 8 is substantially vertical. The cover body 6 of the connector cover (see Figs. 1 and 2) is integrally molded of a synthetic resin having a suitable degree of elasticity and is generally in the form of a short tube only one end of which is open. The open end of the cover body 6 corresponds in shape to the oval opening 4 in the connection portion la and elastically fits on connection portion la. Guide grooves 9, corresponding respectively to the two guide protuberances 5 of connection portion la, are formed in the opposite (right and left) side walls of cover body 6, respectively, and these groove portions are provided in a bulged manner. Guide protuberances 5 can be fitted respectively in the guide grooves 9 in such a manner that each guide protuberance 5 is disposed generally in contact with the inner surface of the corresponding guide groove 9. A generally table-shaped bulge portion 11 for receiving the two ridges 7 is formed on the upper wall of the cover body 6. A projection 12, which is engageable with the projection (housing-side projection) 8, is formed on the inner surface of the bulge portion 11 at the edge portion of the open end. A front surface of the cover-side projection 12 is formed into a slanting surface, slanting downwardly along the fitting direction. This slanting surface can be brought into sliding contact with the slanting surface 8a of the projection 8 on the housing so that the fitting operation can be effected smoothly. A rear surface of the cover-side projection 12 serves as a retaining surface, which is engageable with the rear end surface of the housing-side projection 8 substantially in alignment therewith. Figs. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, manipulation pieces 13 are disposed so that the direction of holding the manipulation pieces is perpendicular to the direction of the elastic deformation of cover body 6. More specifically, the manipulation pieces 13 extend from rear edges of opposite (right and left in Fig. 1) side walls of the cover body 6. Each of the manipulation pieces 13 is of a U-shape, which is open inwardly. With the above construction of the connector cover of this embodiment, the open end of the cover body 6 is brought into registry with the oval opening 4 of the male connector housing 1, and the connector cover is fitted on the connector housing so that the two slanting surfaces of the housing-side projection 8 and the cover-side projection 12 are brought into sliding contact with each other. The retaining surface of the cover-side projection 12 becomes engaged with the rear end surface of the housing-side projection 8. As a result, the cover body 6 is attached to the male connector housing 1 and is retained against disengagement therefrom. A pair of ridges 15 is formed on an inner surface of bulge portion 11, with cover-side projection 12 disposed therebetween. When the cover body 6 is attached to the connector housing 1, the ridges 15 are interposed between the two ridges 7 of the connector housing 1. By holding the manipulation pieces 13, a pushing force is applied to the opposite side walls of the cover body 6, so that upper and lower walls of the cover body 6 are elastically deformed to bulge away from each other. As a result, the engagement between the two projections 8 and 12 is released, so that the cover body 6 can be easily removed from the connector housing 1. In the present invention, the conventional housing-side projection 8 is utilized as the lock means for locking the cover body 6 relative to the connector housing 1. The projection 12, engageable with housing-side projection 8, is formed on the cover body 6. Therefore, a simple lock means is achieved, and a mold for molding the cover body 6 can be simplified. The manipulating force for the manipulation pieces 13 to effect the disengagement can be reduced as much as possible. As a result, the retaining force can be set to a higher level, thereby providing an advantage in that disengagement of the cover body 6 is effectively prevented. The cover body is kept attached to the connector housing, with the engagement means engaged with the engagement portion. For removing the cover body, the manipulation pieces are manipulated, so that the cover is deformed in a predetermined direction, that is, a direction to release the engagement between the engagement means and the engagement portion, and therefore the cover body can be easily removed. The cover body is retained relative to the connector housing merely through the engagement between the engagement means and the engagement portion, so that the cover body is kept attached to the connector housing. Thus, the lock means for the cover is simple in construction and is compact. The manipulation pieces enable the disengagement of the cover body to be achieved with a low manipulation force. While the embodiments disclosed herein are preferred, it will be appreciated from this teaching that various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art that are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.

Claims: A connector cover attachable to an open portion of a connector housing (1), the connector cover comprising: a cover body (6) having an engagement projection (12) engagable with a corresponding projection (8) on said connector housing (1); and means for elastically deforming a part of said cover body (6) to thereby disengage said engagement projection (12) from said corresponding projection (8), said means for elastically deforming comprise a pair of manipulation pieces (13) spaced about a central portion of said cover body (6) and extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of said cover body (6) and parallel to one another, wherein, when said manipulation pieces (13) are urged toward each other, said part of said cover body (6), which is formed as an integral part of the circumferential wall of said cover body (6), is elastically deformed to thereby disengage said engagement projection (12) from said corresponding projection (8), characterized in that said pair of manipulation pieces (13) being disposed so that the direction of movement upon urging them toward each other being perpendicular to the direction of the elastic deformation of said part (11) of said cover body (6). The connector cover according to claim 1, wherein said engagement projection (12) comprises an inclined surface (12a) and a vertical surface (12b) such that said inclined surface guides said engagement projection (12) to engage its vertical surface (12b) with said corresponding projection (8). The connector cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein respective outer surfaces of said manipulation pieces (13) are anti-slip surfaces. The connector cover according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, wherein said cover body (6) is made from a flexible resin material. The connector cover according to anyone of claims 2 to 4, wherein said manipulation pieces (13) are U-shaped. The connector cover according to anyone of claims 1 to 5, wherein said cover body (6) comprises a pair of guide grooves (9) for receiving guide protuberances (5) at said connector housing (1). The connector cover according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein said cover body (6) comprises a bulge portion (11) for receiving a pair of spaced ridges (7) being disposed on an upper surface of said connector housing (1) and delimiting a space, said corresponding projection (8) being disposed in said space between said ridges (7), wherein said engagement projection (12) being disposed in said bulge portion (11).

Inventors: YUKIYASU ABE, YUKIYASU, ABE, YUKIYASU, ABE, C/O SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13